Rice pakora in English means Rice Fritters. These are crispy fried snack recipes made with leftover cooked rice which is mixed with besan (gram flour) along with flavourful spices and then deep-fried. This is a vegan & gluten-free recipe.
Rice pakora are also known as Chawal ke pakore in Hindi and Bhatache vade in Marathi. Besan helps in nice binding and perfect texture. Adding few basic spices and herbs, these pakora’s are fried in hot oil until crisp and golden brown.
When it comes to leftover rice recipes, there are numerous recipes that are normally prepared in every household in India from Maharashtrian phodnicha bhat also known in Gujarati as vagharelo bhat, lemon rice, fried rice, masala rice ,cutlets to name a few.
Rice being the staple food of India, it’s an important part of our diet, and we Indians as you all know love rice in any form. No wonder there is always some leftover rice sitting quietly in our refrigerator that needs to be experimented with.
Ingredients
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 cup Besan (Gram flour)
1 Onion chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Ginger – Green Chilli
1 teaspoon Garlic finely chopped
1/4th cup Coriander Leaves finely chopped
1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1 teaspoon Ajwain (Carom Seeds)
Salt to taste
Method- In a mixing bowl add cooked rice, onion, crushed ginger & chilli paste, chopped garlic, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, salt, ajwain (carom seeds), coriander leaves (cilantro). Mix well, try to mash rice a little bit.
- Add besan (gram flour) and sprinkle some water so that rice and besan combine properly together. Check for seasoning.
- Heat oil in a pan/kadhai. Once the oil is hot, drop small portions of this batter and fry on medium flame until the pakoras / fritters are crisp and golden brown.
- Transfer the pakora / fritters onto tissue paper to soak the excess oil.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup or coriander mint chutney along with tea or coffee.